Your next trip to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport just got upgraded with the sweet, warm voice of legendary Seattle musician Quincy Jones. In Quincy’s unique soulful style, he will be welcoming travelers to the airport, telling them about the local music playing overhead, giving security advice and even talking about the Airport’s progressive environmental stewardship programs. Jones is the latest addition to the highly successful Sea-Tac Airport City of Music that showcases the northwest region’s music culture.

“Seattle’s rich musical history – from Clark Terry and Ernestine Anderson, to Bumps Blackwell, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Heart and Nirvana, to name a few – is rooted in the city’s cultural diversity. It is where my wonderful musical journey began and I can’t imagine a better place to have honed my craft,” said Quincy. “In doing these voice over announcements, I hope that everyone traveling through the airport will be encouraged to experience the great music, musicians and cultural vibrancy that the city of Seattle embodies.”

Quincy Jones attended Garfield High School in Seattle, where he met a young Ray Charles and built a six decade career in the music industry. Among his many achievements are 27 Grammy Awards and his upcoming induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later this year.

“While Seattle doesn’t always get the exposure that other cities do, we have a rich music history,” Port Commissioner John Creighton said. “The Port’s music program has been a tremendously successful way for the region both to celebrate our heritage and introduce the traveling public to the wealth of emerging music talent in the Northwest. It just keeps getting better!.”

The Sea-Tac Airport City of Music program – a cooperative effort by the Port of Seattle, Seattle Music Commission and PlayNetwork – is a comprehensive program that enhances the experience of millions of traveler’s each year combining overhead music by a diverse variety of northwest artists, curated videos on terminal and baggage claim monitors, and a multi-channel web radio player available through the free airport Wi-Fi network.

In just the first year of the program, 32 local artists have volunteered their time to taping overhead welcome, security and informational announcements for the airport including such diverse artists as Macklemore, Clarence Acox, Ann Wilson, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Jerry Cantrell, Fly Moon Royalty, Ludovic Morlot, Allen Stone and many more.

In addition to his voice announcements, you can also hear music from Quincy Jones in the airport playlist which has grown to 400 songs with 150 northwest artists.

For sample audio clips of Quincy Jones’ airport announcement and more information on the program, visit the Sea-Tac Airport Music Initiative page. You can also visit the page for more information on how to submit your music or video content.

When you are at Sea-Tac Airport, you can provide the airport feedback by following @SeaTacAirport on Twitter and using #SEACityofMusic.

About Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Operated by the Port of Seattle, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA, KSEA) is ranked as the 17th largest U.S. airport, serving more than 32 million passengers in 2011. With a regional economic impact of more than $13.2 billion in business revenue, Sea-Tac generates more than 161,000 jobs (89,902 direct jobs) representing more than $2.2 billion in direct earnings and $412.4 million in state and local taxes. Twenty-six airlines serve 75 non-stop domestic destinations and 19 international cities.

About Commissioner John Creighton

John Creighton was elected to the Seattle Port Commission in 2005 and re-elected in 2009. He served as Port Commission President from 2007-2008, and for the last two years as co-chair of the Commission’s Century Agenda committee. The Century Agenda committee has led the development of the Port’s 25-year plan to help grow 100,000 new port-related jobs for the Puget Sound region.

John Creighton is a business lawyer who practiced law in Washington, D.C., and overseas in Istanbul, Helsinki and Singapore with the law firm White & Case LLP prior to returning home to Seattle in 2000. He grew up in the eastside suburbs of Seattle, and attended Interlake High School in Bellevue. For more information about Commissioner John Creighton, please visit http://www.johncreighton.org.